Back to Moosilauke

I can think of few times when I’ve been on the summit of Moosilauke with such deep blue skies and warm sunny temperatures.

Although the days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer – well, actually, it’s been warm all winter – I am not quite ready to let go of winter.  A surprise snowfall of 4” of powder early on Saturday morning, plus a forecast for a warm sunny day today, instigated a repeat visit to Moosilauke via the Glenncliff trail. I rallied David and Kathy Hooke – recalling our visit of last February. On that trip, we were lucky to encounter several feet of fresh powder.  Today, a few inches of fresh snow made a well-packed (and icy) trail a joy to climb.

David on the Moosilauke summit, with the Franconia Range beyond.

We saw perhaps two dozen other people on the trail or on the summit.  Clearly we weren’t the only folks with the good sense to hit the trail today.  The sun was warm, the snow fluffy, and the hills windless.  We did hit some wind on the summit, but the temp was 26˚F and quite comfortable. On the trip down the snow started to get mushy, then slushy, then running water, and finally mud. At the parking lot it was 46˚F.  Warm day!

Check out the photos (and movies).